Predicting NBA’s Christmas Day Schedule: Lakers, Warriors highlight slate of postseason rematches

Every year, the NBA Christmas Day schedule features a full slate of basketball. Last season, five games took place from noon to 10:30 ET. What can we expect in 2023? 

Five Christmas Day games last season meant that a third of the league was on national TV while families around the country celebrated the holiday. It’s the rare opportunity for hoopheads to carve out their entire day to watch basketball, and generally the matchups all carry higher stakes than your average regular season game.

Even with the introduction of the in-season tournament, there isn’t a more bankable TV block for the league than Dec. 25. Expect several compelling matchups, starting at noon eastern time and proceeding all the way to the late-night 10:30 slot.

With the power of precedent at our disposal, as well as an understanding of which teams in the NBA drive revenue and excitement, let’s hash out predictions for the 2023 Christmas Day schedule from front to back.

Predicting NBA Christmas Day schedule, 12 ET: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

The Knicks always play on Christmas Day. It’s always a home game with a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd. It’s hard to get mad; there is something magical about the MSG environment and the Knicks are actually good at the moment, so this no longer feels like a pre-programmed stinker.

It feels simple enough to pair New York with Cleveland in this slot. The Cavs lost to New York in the first round and will be hungry for revenge. There’s a built-in narrative around Donovan Mitchell potentially wanting to play for the Knicks, which is great TV fodder, and the Cavs are theoretically pretty close to contention in the imminently winnable East.

Mitchell is a player who can draw eyeballs, not to mention the looming improvement of up-and-coming stars like Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. For the Knicks, it’s another chance to flex Tom Thibodeau’s defensive muscles against J.B. Bickerstaff, who was thoroughly out-coached in Cleveland’s first-round defeat.

There are probably more exciting possibilities floating in the ether, but with the Knicks essentially pencilled in as the noon Christmas Day openers, it’s hard to imagine a juicier opponent than Cleveland. The NBA won’t program something like Oklahoma City vs. Houston for the diehards, so we can settle for a tempestuous rematch.